British Teen Sentenced to Life in Prison for Plotting to Bomb Elton John Concert

A 19-year-old London resident who was arrested last year for planning to carry out a terrorist attack at an Elton John concert has since admitted the attempted crime in court — and been sentenced to life in prison.

As previously reported, authorities arrested Haroon Ali-Syed on Sept. 8, 2016 — three days before John's concert in London's Hyde Park, where he planned to detonate a nail bomb. The arrest, which resulted after a joint operation between Scotland Yard and MI5, ended an investigation that turned up a number of unsuccessful attempts on Ali-Syed's part to finance his attack through thousands of dollars in rejected loan applications.

According to The Independent, Ali-Syed admitted he'd pursued a number of failed methods for carrying out his attack, and said he only settled on the idea of a nail bomb after coming up empty in his attempts to procure other forms of ammunition.

Although he's been sentenced to life in prison, there will still be opportunities for the would-be bomber to see release. Under the terms handed down by the judge in his case, Ali-Sayed will be eligible for consideration of parole after serving 15 years of his sentence — a decision hailed by London law enforcement as a victory as well as an example of how different components of society can save lives by working together.

"This case is another example of the severity of the current threat from terrorism, which we cannot tackle alone," said Metropolitan Police Commander Dean Haydon. "I urge communities to continue to support the police by reporting anything they feel is suspicious. Even if you think it is insignificant, please report it, and our specialist officers will decide the best course of action."